Viewing conveyors as a commodity is risky for pharmaceutical manufacturers.
Conventional wisdom grossly—and wrongly—devalues conveyors, regarding them as cheaply built, non-value-added units that simply move product through successive packaging process steps. Conveyors are typically the last elements considered by consumer packaged goods companies. Purchase decisions are usually made on the basis of cost, not value.
In pharmaceutical packaging, conveyors not only function as a “highway” system to coordinate product flow between machines, they can also maximize packaging line efficiency.
Selecting and integrating the conveying system for pharmaceutical packaging environments requires careful—and early—consideration. Failure to give proper attention to the conveyor system can result in waste, excess costs, and higher cycle times. A common example: the relationship between the conveyor and the package-labeling system.
As marketing departments introduce innovative container shapes and graphics, labeler changeovers can become routine. But frequent changeovers can create waste upstream and downstream in the form of machine idle time and lost production. Using conveyors in a properly arranged buffering accumulation system ahead of the labeler allows production to continue even during brief labeler stoppages, helping to increase line output by as much as 25%.
• Robotic Floating Pouch Handler for IV solutions, medical devices, and flexible containers, transfers pouches from indexing to continuous-motion equipment or vice-versa
• operates at speeds to 250 pouches/min, accommodating pouches from 3”x3” to 12”x18”
• places pouches in nests, assuring proper orientation for downstream packaging functions
• suited for medical and pharmaceutical industries, VarioFlow uses the company’s Adaptive Modularity design concept to help optimize material flow flexibility and adaptability
• configurable in 65-, 80-, 90-, 100-, 160-, 240-, and 320-mm widths
• available in single-beam aluminum, open-channel aluminum, and hygienic stainless-steel designs
Want to reap the benefits of on-time production and prevent problems on conveyors used in sterile packaging lines? Here are some tips to meet the challenges caused by product disturbances and product spillage.
